After another successful run in Memphis, the coaching pipeline has done what it so often does - moved a Tigers head coach up the food chain. Ryan Silverfield is now the man in charge at Arkansas, and he didn’t leave quietly.
He took a chunk of his Memphis staff with him, including the offensive coordinator. That’s left the Tigers in a bit of a transitional moment heading into their bowl game.
For now, Memphis will be led by Reggie Howard, the defensive backs coach, who’s stepping in as interim head coach. A couple of remaining assistants have been elevated to co-offensive coordinators for the bowl.
It’s not an ideal situation, but here’s the good news: the roster itself remains largely intact. And that’s what really matters when toe meets leather on Friday.
At the center of it all is quarterback Brendon Lewis, a veteran presence who transferred in after starting his career with the other Wolf Pack. When healthy, Lewis is a legitimate dual-threat weapon - the kind of quarterback who can change a game with his legs as much as his arm. He’s piled up over 600 yards on the ground this season and has been remarkably efficient through the air, completing nearly 70% of his passes with 15 touchdowns to just six picks.
That said, health has been a question mark. Lewis has been nursing an ankle injury over the back half of the season. But with three weeks off to rest and rehab, there’s reason to believe he’ll be closer to full strength - and that’s a big deal for Memphis.
Lewis is the engine behind a ground game that’s been one of the most effective in the country. We’re talking top-tier national rankings in both success rate and explosive play rate.
That’s not just about scheme - it’s about depth. Four different players have logged 50 or more carries this season, with Sutton Smith and Greg Desrosiers leading the way.
Together, they’ve racked up about 1,200 rushing yards and 14 scores, giving Memphis a reliable one-two punch out of the backfield.
In the passing game, Lewis has leaned heavily on wideout Cortez Braham Jr., a 6'2", 201-pound target who also made the move from Nevada. Braham has been a steady force all year, hauling in 63 passes for 889 yards and eight touchdowns.
He’s the go-to guy when Lewis needs a play. But don’t sleep on Jamari Hawkins, either.
At 5'9", 185 pounds, he’s more of a big-play threat - 34 catches for 591 yards, good for a healthy 17.4 yards per reception.
Offensively, Memphis has been sharp on early downs - their EPA/play numbers back that up. But when things go wrong, they tend to unravel fast.
The Tigers have struggled with stuff rate allowed, and they’re often putting themselves in long third-down situations. That’s not a winning formula, especially against disciplined defenses.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has held its own against the run but has had a rough go in pass coverage. The numbers paint a clear picture: bottom 25% nationally in yards per dropback, passing success rate, passing EPA/play, and explosive pass rate allowed.
They’ve been opportunistic at times - 12 interceptions on the year - but it’s been a while since they’ve picked one off. In fact, they haven’t done it since Halloween.
Coincidentally, they haven’t won a game since then either.
So what we’ve got here is a bowl game that actually means something - not just in name, but in roster quality. Both teams are mostly intact, which is becoming a rarity in December.
It’s a strength-on-strength matchup: potent offenses squaring off against stingy defenses. The question is simple: which defense can bend without breaking?
We’ll get our answer soon enough.